With an April 1st budget deadline looming, proposals and negotiations are in full swing.

The Assembly Majority Conference’s proposal for this year is a staggering $246 billion, meaning, if this proposal is enacted, our budget will have increased by $98 billion since my election to the New York State Assembly in 2016.

To achieve this record-setting level of spending, the one-house proposal seeks to impose $3.5 billion in new taxes over the next two years. The kicker? State revenues continue to come in better than expected, making these tax hikes unnecessary. Even with an additional $1.4 billion in consensus revenue, the Assembly Majority can’t resist spending all of it and hiking personal income and business taxes, including an increase in the corporate franchise rate.

I see budgets as a way to identify our priorities as New Yorkers:

• I support investments in our direct support professionals (DSPs) working with our most vulnerable New Yorkers. Despite the vital role DSPs play their wages are not commensurate with their responsibilities, contributing to a significant workforce........

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